| Tyrone: "Hello, I’m Tyrone, with the week
day gospel celebration, reporting for Genesis TV and right now it is a pleasure for me to
introduce to you, three time Grammy nominee, and a Stellar Award Winner, he’s the one
and only, Mr. Timothy Wright." TimothyTimothy: "God
Bless you my brother. How are you Tyrone? It is nice to meet you."
TyroneTyrone: "Oh, I truly blessed of the Lord! Bless you too my
brother."
TyroneTyrone: "Now, first of all, let me say, Happy Birthday to
you, this June 17th, and we are doing the interview on your birthday. "
TyroneTyrone: "And do you feel a day older my brother?"
TimothyTimothy: "Yes Sir, I feel quite a few days older."
TyroneTyrone: "Praise God! Well let me ask you brother Timothy, I
talk to people like John P. Kee who we know a little bit about. But you are like the
mysterious one in the gospel arena. No one knows much about you Timothy Wright."
TimothyTimothy: "Ohhhhhhhhh"
TyroneTyrone: "First tell me, where are you from?"
Timothy: "I’m from Brooklyn, New York, and I’ve
been out here a long time. I’ve been out here much longer than John P. I’ve been
out here a lot longer than a whole lot of folks. I’ve been out here about 35 years.: "I’m from Brooklyn, New York, and I’ve
been out here a long time. I’ve been out here much longer than John P. I’ve been
out here a lot longer than a whole lot of folks. I’ve been out here about 35 years.
TyroneTyrone: "Praise God.
TimothyTimothy: "But the Lord has been good to me.
TyroneTyrone: "Tell me, how did you start off?"
Timothy: "I’ve always been a writer. I started off
writing. Even before I was playing for anybody or singing with anybody, I was always in
the background writing and arranging and making music for others. So, it evolved to where
we are now, come down through the fire-baptized church and then with the Late Bishop F. D.
Washington at the Washington Temple Church of God In Christ in Brooklyn. I was there for
21 years as his minister of music. Maybe that is why a lot of folk never heard much about
Rev. Timothy Wright because I was often just travelling around the country with him. And
then I worked with the Late Rev. Isaac Douglas and the New York Community Choir and other
gospel artist. The late Rev. Cleveland, I worked with him as well and others. And so, here
we are.": "I’ve always been a writer. I started off
writing. Even before I was playing for anybody or singing with anybody, I was always in
the background writing and arranging and making music for others. So, it evolved to where
we are now, come down through the fire-baptized church and then with the Late Bishop F. D.
Washington at the Washington Temple Church of God In Christ in Brooklyn. I was there for
21 years as his minister of music. Maybe that is why a lot of folk never heard much about
Rev. Timothy Wright because I was often just travelling around the country with him. And
then I worked with the Late Rev. Isaac Douglas and the New York Community Choir and other
gospel artist. The late Rev. Cleveland, I worked with him as well and others. And so, here
we are."
TyroneTyrone: "So you have a resume, a long resume."
Timothy: "Yea, the Lord’s been good to me, man.": "Yea, the Lord’s been good to me, man."
TyroneTyrone: "Who inspired you in your early days?"
Timothy: "In my early days of music ministry, the Rev James
Cleveland was a great inspiration to me. I considered him one of my musical mentors along
with the Late Rev. Isaac Douglas. They all inspired me. And listening to other artist, I
often tell people, that artist, we inspire each other. You know, I listen to John and
I’m sure others are listening to me. And, we inspire each other. So, I’m
inspired by many of the saints that I have run into. Sometimes I’ll hear a sermon or
sometimes I’ll hear a testimony that will inspire me to write something. And, here we
are.: "In my early days of music ministry, the Rev James
Cleveland was a great inspiration to me. I considered him one of my musical mentors along
with the Late Rev. Isaac Douglas. They all inspired me. And listening to other artist, I
often tell people, that artist, we inspire each other. You know, I listen to John and
I’m sure others are listening to me. And, we inspire each other. So, I’m
inspired by many of the saints that I have run into. Sometimes I’ll hear a sermon or
sometimes I’ll hear a testimony that will inspire me to write something. And, here we
are.
Tyrone: "Let me ask you, today’s gospel music.
You’ve been around for a long time, like you said, with the James Cleveland, Shirley
Caesar and so forth. Today’s gospel music with the Kirk Franklin’s and Hezekiah
Walker’s—do you look at that as a positive or as a negative? Where do you think
gospel music is going?": "Let me ask you, today’s gospel music.
You’ve been around for a long time, like you said, with the James Cleveland, Shirley
Caesar and so forth. Today’s gospel music with the Kirk Franklin’s and Hezekiah
Walker’s—do you look at that as a positive or as a negative? Where do you think
gospel music is going?"
TimothyTimothy: "I look at it as a positive because it is broaden
the horizons of gospel music. Those young men that you just mentioned have the capacity to
reach young folks that I may never reach. You know, because of the style of music that
they are doing, they will get the ear of the young person. As long as they are carrying
the right message, to God be the glory.
TyroneTyrone: "Alright. I love that. I got to ask you something
else too. The people in the TV audience, they are going to see some clips from the
workshop itself. And, you were sharing with them, with us I should say, a testimony from a
prison ministry. I want you to touch on that a little bit for the audience today."
Timothy: "Yea. I went to the prison up in New York State
called Green Haven. And, while I was there a young man ran up to me after I got through
singing and he had an old, raggedy, tape of Trouble Don’t Last Always. He came
up and he wanted me to sign that for him. He told me that sometime when he’s
struggling, trying to deal with what he has to deal with there in the prison, he would put
on the tape. He said, that is his connection to the outside world, my tape. It brought
tears to my eyes that something that I have done in the ministry that the Lord has given
me is being a help to somebody who may be struggling. So, we never know who we are helping
when the Lord has blessed us to do this music ministry that is so far reaching and such a
blessing to so many people. : "Yea. I went to the prison up in New York State
called Green Haven. And, while I was there a young man ran up to me after I got through
singing and he had an old, raggedy, tape of Trouble Don’t Last Always. He came
up and he wanted me to sign that for him. He told me that sometime when he’s
struggling, trying to deal with what he has to deal with there in the prison, he would put
on the tape. He said, that is his connection to the outside world, my tape. It brought
tears to my eyes that something that I have done in the ministry that the Lord has given
me is being a help to somebody who may be struggling. So, we never know who we are helping
when the Lord has blessed us to do this music ministry that is so far reaching and such a
blessing to so many people.
Tyrone: "And we also have a preview of your new CD that is
coming out and the song that you did by the Rev. Milton Bingham. I’m excited about it
right now, let me tell you!": "And we also have a preview of your new CD that is
coming out and the song that you did by the Rev. Milton Bingham. I’m excited about it
right now, let me tell you!"
Timothy: "Right, right, right. It’s gonna be good man!
It’s coming about the second week in July. It is going to be hot!": "Right, right, right. It’s gonna be good man!
It’s coming about the second week in July. It is going to be hot!"
Tyrone: "I’m looking for it! I’m looking for it
(laughter)." : "I’m looking for it! I’m looking for it
(laughter)."
Timothy: "It’s going to be hot as a firecracker on the
fourth of July (laughter)!: "It’s going to be hot as a firecracker on the
fourth of July (laughter)!
Tyrone: "Let me ask you this, because, Trouble Don’t
Last Always, everyone knows Rev. Timothy Wright by that song. Where did that song come
from in the first place? Where did you dig it up from?": "Let me ask you this, because, Trouble Don’t
Last Always, everyone knows Rev. Timothy Wright by that song. Where did that song come
from in the first place? Where did you dig it up from?"
Timothy: "I was in Chicago when I did that song. I was in
Chicago with the Chicago Interdenominational Mass Choir in 1989. And, that song came, it
was just….. I don’t know….I always liked the old Negro spirituals
(singing… I’m so glad trouble don’t last always) and the Lord just gave me
a little different bent on it, a little different arrangement. People just gravitated to
it. I didn’t think it was going to do as well as it done because it wasn’t even
the title song on the album. It was another song that was the title song. But, people just
grasped a hold of that song because people were going through stuff all the time. People
are going through trials, and troubles and tribulations. It is always good to know that
there’s something good about trouble, and that’s it don’t last always. : "I was in Chicago when I did that song. I was in
Chicago with the Chicago Interdenominational Mass Choir in 1989. And, that song came, it
was just….. I don’t know….I always liked the old Negro spirituals
(singing… I’m so glad trouble don’t last always) and the Lord just gave me
a little different bent on it, a little different arrangement. People just gravitated to
it. I didn’t think it was going to do as well as it done because it wasn’t even
the title song on the album. It was another song that was the title song. But, people just
grasped a hold of that song because people were going through stuff all the time. People
are going through trials, and troubles and tribulations. It is always good to know that
there’s something good about trouble, and that’s it don’t last always.
Tyrone: "I’ll tell you another song that really,
it’s like a personal testimony for me that you did. It didn’t get a lot of air
play but Judge Me Not.: "I’ll tell you another song that really,
it’s like a personal testimony for me that you did. It didn’t get a lot of air
play but Judge Me Not.
TimothyTimothy: "Oh Yea."
TyroneTyrone: "My national anthem (laughter). Now, when I listen
to that song, I feel like, was Timothy Wright going through something here? Where some
people judging him or something?"
Timothy: "Do you know who wrote that song for me? My
musician Greg who is here tonight wrote it. He wrote that song Judge Me Not because
a lot of time we, even as church folks, we sometimes tend to judge folk, and try to pick
out the mote in somebody else’s eye. He wrote that song and it is scripture.: "Do you know who wrote that song for me? My
musician Greg who is here tonight wrote it. He wrote that song Judge Me Not because
a lot of time we, even as church folks, we sometimes tend to judge folk, and try to pick
out the mote in somebody else’s eye. He wrote that song and it is scripture.
Tyrone: "I love it, I love it, I’m telling you.
Congratulations Greg if you hear me. Now you also, you mentioned on tonight about
appearing on New York Undercover. How did you get that role?: "I love it, I love it, I’m telling you.
Congratulations Greg if you hear me. Now you also, you mentioned on tonight about
appearing on New York Undercover. How did you get that role?
Timothy: "Ahhh, just they just called me. They just wanted
somebody that was local and in the city there and they gave me a call and said we want you
to appear on New York Undercover with Al Sharpton and the late, what’s the young
man’s name, Howard Rollins, and some other notable actors and performers. I said
sure, I’ll be glad to come. It was a great thrill to be on nationwide TV on that
particular show.: "Ahhh, just they just called me. They just wanted
somebody that was local and in the city there and they gave me a call and said we want you
to appear on New York Undercover with Al Sharpton and the late, what’s the young
man’s name, Howard Rollins, and some other notable actors and performers. I said
sure, I’ll be glad to come. It was a great thrill to be on nationwide TV on that
particular show.
Tyrone: "Now, is acting now in Timothy Wright’s future.: "Now, is acting now in Timothy Wright’s future.
Timothy: "Oh Oh no (laughter)! I don’t know now.
I’ve done some plays here and there with some Christian and Biblical themes. I
believe the people of God can do anything that they put their mind to do.: "Oh Oh no (laughter)! I don’t know now.
I’ve done some plays here and there with some Christian and Biblical themes. I
believe the people of God can do anything that they put their mind to do.
TyroneTyrone: "Well, let me just ask you one more questions before
I let you go. Timothy Wright, how do you want people to remember you? Not rushing you off,
okay (laughter)?"
Timothy: "Well, I don’t plan on going no where no times
soon (laughter).": "Well, I don’t plan on going no where no times
soon (laughter)."
Tyrone: "We hope you don’t (laughter).": "We hope you don’t (laughter)."
Timothy: "They had it out about a year ago that I was gone.
They were calling the church saying, "I want to know when Rev. Wright’s
home-going service is going to be."": "They had it out about a year ago that I was gone.
They were calling the church saying, "I want to know when Rev. Wright’s
home-going service is going to be.""
TyroneTyrone: "Do you know how that got started?"
TimothyTimothy: "Somebody down in Mississippi started that rumor.
And one DJ down there played a tribute to me all day long. They got me confused with Rev.
Milton Brunson when he passed away. I want to be remembered as someone who always tried to
encourage somebody, one who always tried to share his ministry with someone. I just want
to be remembered as a child of God who tried to do the perfect and divine will of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
TyroneTyrone: "To me, I think you are doing that. You have blessed
so many people across the country. Your music just continues to grow and grow and grow. I
thank you for it. I thank you for taking this opportunity inside the weekday celebration
and Genesis I TV. Ladies and gentleman, the Rev. Timothy Wright. |
